​​In The Shadow of Longs Peak

Spring and Nate's Canyon, San Rafael Swell

​26 April 2005

Hike to the Junction of Spring and Nate’s Canyon and up an unmarked canyon. 

This hike has the disadvantage of any hike starting at the end of Mexico Mountain Road: You have a hike of 2.5 miles from the end of the road to the start of the hike.  But, it’s well worth the effort.

From the start, you can see the beginning of your destination - 2.5 miles in the distance is the ‘Mexican Bend’ portion of the San Rafael River.  It’s lined with cottonwood trees, and, this spring, they are not yet fully leaved, so are dressed in their early growth neon green.  Their backdrop is Mexican Mountain, in view to the right.

As you approach Mexican Bend, look for the Horse-Thief Canyon Trail, which really was used to drive stolen cattle down into Mexican Bend.  There is also a back-country airstrip here that is still used, so be mindful of small airplanes landing and taking off. 
 
As you approach Mexican Bend, and once you are past the airstrip, start moving north into Spring Canyon.  Stay to the left and soon you will be walking among huge boulders.  Keep an eye out for pictographs. 

Continue north into Spring Canyon.  The hiking is easy and the views are a delight.  Steve Allen, in his guide, indicates that there is a beautiful free-standing fin separating Nate's and Spring Canyon.  But if these are the same fins, they are on the south side of Spring Canyon across from the intersection of Spring and Nate's Canyon.  Now, we have a dilemma:  We’re at least 3 hours into the hike and we did not leave the trail head until 11 AM or so.  And, before us, we have arm of canyon south of the fins.  So it looks like we can continue up to the rim of this canyon and continue quite a ways…but we have to consider the return and the fact that we don’t all have headlamps.  So, we have lunch, then turn around. 

A note:  it looks like this arm of canyon will take us up to the rim…something to investigate another time.